GNLD:
Hello Dr. Somogyi. Thank you for spending this time to help us all better
understand the facts about Acesulfame Potassium.
Dr.
Somogyi: Hello, it is good to talk to you, I will be glad to share
my views on this food ingredient.
GNLD:
We understand you have recently been deeply involved in a special panel
that evaluated and discussed the latest developments in sweeteners.
Dr.
Somogyi: Yes, last October I acted as the Chair at a 3-day international
conference held in the Washington, DC area. Entitled “Sweeteners
2000,” the entire conference was devoted to new developments in
the field of sweeteners. It was high time for updates, as significant
new technical developments and regulatory issues surfaced since the
previous sweetener conference was held in 1998. Important issues discussed
in the conference focused on low-calorie sweetener safety, low-calorie
ingredient benefits and product labeling.
Approximately
100 people from nine countries attended to hear 22 presentations and
round-table discussions. Participants included nutrition and food research
scientists from universities and the government, regulatory personnel
from the FDA, representatives of the sweetener industry, and food and
nutritional product manufacturers.
GNLD:
Can you tell us a little about the sweetener Acesulfame-K?
Dr.
Somogyi: Yes, but first I’d like to comment briefly why sugar,
a highly popular food ingredient, is substituted with non-nutritive
sweeteners.
Sugar
substitutes are effective for:
- Weight control and reduction
-
Management of diabetes
-
Reduction of dental caries
-
Reduction of obesity risks
Ace-K
is one of the leading non-nutritive sweeteners available and offers
all these benefits:
Technically,
it’s an odorless, white crystalline powder that is approximately
200 times as sweet as sucrose. The compound is stable, non-caloric and
non-cariogenic (does not promote tooth decay). Even at room temperature,
Ace-K dissolves readily in water, has extended shelf life, and is stable
across temperature and pH ranges associated with food preparation and
processing.
Ace-K
was discovered as a highly sweet-tasting compound in 1967 at the Hoechst
AG’s laboratory in Germany. The potassium salt of acesulfame was
identified as the most suitable derivative as a high-intensity sweetener.
In 1978,
the World Health Organization registered acesulfame potassium salt as
the generic name for this compound. Presently, Hoechst’s processing
patent is still in effect.
GNLD:
How does it compare with Aspartame?
Dr.
Somogyi: Aspartame (commonly recognized by its brand name Equal®)
is another widely used sweetener. One of its important dissimilarities
to Ace-K is that aspartame is a dipeptide, a building block of proteins,
and is fully metabolized by the human body. Therefore, aspartame is
classified as a “high-intensity sweetener:” it provides 4
calories per gram, but because it is 200 times sweeter than sugar, it
is used in such miniscule quantities that its caloric contribution to
the diet is insignificant.
Aspartame
has two significant disadvantages:
- It
is not completely stable in liquids; in solution it breaks down.
- It is unsuitable for prolonged heating, or for ready-to-use products
with extended shelf life requirements at room temperature.
While
both Ace-K and aspartame are good sweeteners, they provide somewhat
different sweet-taste sensations. We found that in the GR2 Control Meal
Replacement Protein Shakes, Ace-K is preferred because its sweet taste
is perceived quickly, does not linger and does not persist longer than
the taste of the product. In brief, Ace-K provides an excellent, sugar-like
taste.
GNLD:
It sounds like Ace-K has been around for quite some time. Can you tell
us about the safety testing that has been conducted on it?
Dr.
Somogyi: As for its safety, Ace-K passed all required safety tests.
More than 50 full-range toxicological studies were carried out with
Ace-K. All of these studies concluded that the compound produces no
toxic effects in the body. Metabolism studies conducted in rats, dogs,
pigs and humans show that it is not digested; it was excreted unchanged.
Moreover, Ace-K was found neither carcinogenic nor mutagenic, even when
fed to the test animals at very high concentrations — up to 3%
Ace-K. Reproductive studies in rats and rabbits concluded no teratogenecity
effects of Ace-K.
I believe
that Ace-K is one of the most thoroughly studied food ingredients and
moreover, it has an 18-year track record of safe use around the world.
GNLD:
If Ace-K is never digested or metabolized, how does it give us the sweet
taste?
Dr.
Somogyi: We experience sweet sensation by the “sweetness receptors”
located on the surface of the tongue, and we taste the intact Ace-K
molecule. To investigate possible metabolic transformations, radioactive
14-C labeled Ace-K was used. Studies were carried out on rats, dogs,
and pigs. As animal studies did not show any metabolism, human volunteers
were also given radioactive Ace-K. These tests confirmed that the different
animal species, as well as the human volunteers, excreted the entire
original compound.
GNLD:
We understand that despite all this testing and proof there is one person
who continues to try to convince people otherwise.
Dr.
Somogyi: A single objection is reported questioning the safety of
Acesulfame-K. Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in
the Public Interest (CSPI) submitted his most recent objection in July
1996. He is renowned to object to every new food additive petition or
new food processing technology. Jacobson’s letter to the FDA stated
that tests carried out by Hoechst in support of the approval of Acesulfame-K
were flawed. Specifically, he expressed concerns about an acesulfame
breakdown product known as acetoacetamine. FDA denied CSPI’s hearing
request, saying that the consumer group “failed to submit new information
to support its claim that FDA incorrectly concluded that acesulfame
potassium is safe.”
GNLD:
Is the U.S. FDA the only government agency to approve Ace-K as safe?
Dr.
Somogyi: Prior to the initial U.S. FDA approval in 1988, Ace-K was
first approved in 1983 in the United Kingdom. Since then, numerous scientific
and health authorities around the world have endorsed the sweetener’s
safety, including the Joint Expert Committee for Food Additives of the
World Health Organization. The sweetener is now approved in over 90
countries including the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia
and Latin America, and can be found in over 4,000 products around the
world.
GNLD:
Why was Ace-K chosen for use in GR2 Control Meal Replacement Protein
Shakes?
Dr.
Somogyi: The SAB was looking for a way to deliver the sweetness
needed for the good taste that consumers demand, while keeping the glycemic
response and the caloric content of the product as low as possible.
Besides
these basic requirements, we had to consider several other factors.
To name a few important criteria: good flavor without unpleasant aftertaste,
compatibility of the sweetener with the other ingredients in the product
mix, instant solubility in cold liquid, and extended shelf life. Our
research studies concluded that Ace-K met all of these essential prerequisites.
GNLD:
Thank you Dr. Somogyi, your comments are greatly appreciated.
